Uganda’s ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) has given its backing to a controversial proposal to split Tororo district into an independent city and three new districts, alongside carving a new district from Bundibugyo, despite the significant financial cost and the timing coinciding with preparations for the 2026 General Elections.
The decision, announced by Government Chief Whip Hamson Denis Obua following an NRM Parliamentary Caucus meeting at State House Entebbe, will see Tororo district transformed into Tororo City, Mukuju District, Mulanda District, and Kisoko District. Concurrently, Bundibugyo District will be divided to create Bughendera District, with these new entities slated for the financial year 2025-2026.
Obua stated the move aims to “bring services closer to the people and end ethnic conflicts” in the two regions. The Minister for Local Government, Raphael Magyezi, defended the proposal, revealing that operationalizing these new administrative units would cost taxpayers an estimated UGX 26 Billion.
“Having received the report of the Minister of Local Government, to support the creation of Mukuju District, Mulanda District, Kisoko District and Tororo City in the financial year 2025-2026, subject to the law… [and] to support the creation of Bughendera district out of Bundibugyo District in the financial year 2025-2026, subject to the law,” Obua told journalists at Parliament.
Minister Magyezi robustly rebutted accusations of gerrymandering, particularly given the Electoral Commission is currently midway through organizing the 2026 General Elections, a process that new administrative units would inherently complicate due to the necessity of fresh demarcation.
“Now, where is gerrymandering in that? I don’t know who will be elected. Will the one to be elected be NRM? Will it be an FDC? Will it be an independent? The other time, we created two constituencies in Nakawa, they were taken by the opposition, have we complained? We are doing this for service delivery, for peace and security for administration,” Magyezi argued, citing the splitting of Nakawa constituency, which saw opposition Members of Parliament elected.
Magyezi emphasized that the creation of new units is a response to “the will of the people,” expressed through council resolutions from local governments. He acknowledged the substantial cost but urged Ugandans to focus on the long-term benefits of decentralized services.
“Yes, there’s no doubt it has a cost, but it also has an advantage… Once I get a council resolution from a district, then my responsibility is to carry out a technical study. Then when I realise that it is viable, I present it to cabinet and it comes to Parliament, that process is within the law and we are simply meeting the law,” Magyezi explained. He underscored the increasing population and rapid urbanization rate (5.3 percent annually) as key drivers for bringing services closer to the populace.
The Minister also addressed the complex electoral implications. The Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka and the Electoral Commission will determine the precise timing for elections in these fresh constituencies once Parliament greenlights the proposal.
Magyezi referenced Section 7, Subsection 13 of the Local Government Act, which stipulates that a district created after a general election “shall take effect six months prior to the next election.” He also cited Section 21(2) of the Electoral Commission Act, which provides that if electoral processes have already begun, a newly created district will become an electoral district in subsequent elections, not necessarily halting its creation.
A significant consequence of this administrative overhaul will be the expansion of the legislative body. The creation of Mukuju, Mulanda, Kisoko, and Tororo City, along with Bughendera District, is set to “stretch the number of MPs beyond the current over 500 legislators,” according to Magyezi.
“When you create Tororo District or when you subdivide it into those arrangements, today, Tororo district has a woman Member of Parliament. Today, Tororo municipality has a municipal Member of Parliament, the creation means that the three districts each will have a woman member of parliament.”
“Yes. It also means that the city will have a city woman member of parliament and the two divisions will have two Members of Parliament,” Magyezi elaborated, highlighting the direct impact on parliamentary representation and the public purse.”
